Ted Head Watercolor Workshop last weekend

While I was studying and recharging I thought I would post this watercolor that I did last weekend in Ted Head's watercolor class.
This one was really challenging. Fruit has always been difficult for me to paint. This was painted on 11x 14 AquaBoard by Ampersand and usually I like painting on this surface but this was harder than usual. I usually paint Poppies on these boards which are abstract and easier. But I do like these boards. I like flowers better but it is always good to S_T_R_E_T_C_H yourself.
I think the cherries are beginning to rot on the bottom...need to work some more on those pesky shadows!

Still studying and researching...

Now I have been looking at another one of my favorite artists on YouTube, Jane from Gritty Arts Studio http://www.youtube.com/user/grittyarts.
I love her art and her gentle way.

One thing that I would really like to do is to make an example book of all the mixed media techniques that I have seen. I know that when I see them and if I don't make a note of it---it's gone. So maybe that's what I'll do. We'll see...
Arte' Diem!
"Seize the art of the day!"

Study and Research

One of the things that keeps me moving, growing and evolving is studying and researching other people's work on YouTube videos etc. There are a vast number of oh so talented people out there---some that make me drool to look at their work. Often I just take a day and research. I have been looking at Milliande's wonderful journal pages and her collage techniques. She has many how -to YouTube videos and only works for coffee. I feel that I should send her some coffee money because she has inspired me so much. She does it through PayPal. Pretty clever I think. She has a wonderful British accent and a calm way about her. So, no art today. Somedays I just have to rest and recharge.

I also feel that I need to really get back to my journaling. I think I have enough pieces for the gallery show coming up although I will probably paint more but the pressure is off now. So I just need to do some dooding and painting in my journal and see what happens. And I am taking Pam Carriker's journaling class. I really like her journal pages of her faces. I am also planning to make an art journal book with 140 lb wc paper using my RubiCoil which I use a lot.
Have a creative day, ya'll!

HE Holds the Key

I am getting ready for my show at the ReddiArts Gallery here in Jacksonville, and yesterday they called and rescheduled my time to May and June rather than March and April. This gives me a little more time---whew!

This girl is on a 12 x 12 x 1/12 cradled wood board. You can find them at Hobby Lobby. She is collaged with paper squares underneath then painted with acrylic, stamps, Caran d 'ache and punchanella. He holds the key to her heart....so...who is HE? Well, HE holds the key to my heart too.

Bucky says HI

Bucky, aka, "The Buckinator" wanted to blog today. He wanted me to tell everyone about him. He is a 6 year old Corgi who is just about the cutest dog around. I can't walk anywhere with him without people wanting to stop and pet him. This is very bad for his already inflated ego. He also has a 'short' complex so he has to growl at all other taller dogs when they enter his space. He definitely has an uppity attitude---too much time with the Queen I guess.

But, Oh, do I love this little pooch!

They Think Alike

This is acrylic with layers bubble wrap stamping, stamps, punchenella, and collage paper. It's on a 12 x 12 x 1.50 canvas and the sides are painted a brownish red. I painted the faces on another piece of paper and pasted it on--- and you can totally see that it is pasted on even though I tried hard to hide it with the hair. Well, it IS a mixed media collage. Who's to say I can't collage the face on!? Hopefully the collage police won't cite me.

Sunday Sunflower Ditty

Happy Sunday to all!

It's warmer today here in Jacksonville, FL, hence the Sunflower ditties for todays blog post. It will be a high of 65 which is much better than our freezing temps. Floridians aren't used to that!

The flowers took about 3 minutes and the lettering took about 30 secomds so I guess this was more of a 31/2 minute ditty. Instant gratification---aahhhhhh!!! That probably says a lot about my personality doesn't it??

Another Gel Transfer

This is a gel transfer of my lettering that I had copied backwards so it would transfer correctly. I don't have a laser printer or a copier with toner so I have to go have the copies made. This is a 5x5 canvas panel with some acrylic and stamps. Pretty easy and fun!

Daydream

This is watercolor and acrylic on a YES! canvas. I have a love -hate relationship with these canvases but I had it in my stash so I have to use it. This is what I love about it: it takes the watercolor fairly well, dispersing and blending well. Lifting is very easy and I had a round sponge dabber that made perfect lifted dots. But what I hated was this: when I tried to glaze another color it took off the first color down to the white canvas even though it is dry. So that is why at this point I switched to acrylic for the face. Works great with acrylic, what doesn't? These canvases are suppose to take all mediums so I say Yes! to acrylic but NO! to watercolor on this canvas. Oh, also another thing I liked---I could write on it with my calligraphy nib!

This girl looks a little 'erked' for some reason. I guess she doesn't like her daydream. Sometimes the girls just have an attitude!

Surrounded by Light

This is on a 6 x 6 canvas panel and she is collaged with paper, gel transfer for my lettering then the face was painted with Claudine Hellmuth acrylic Studio Paints, which I love. The 6x6 is adhered to an Ampersand panel and the sides are collaged with pages from an old and very much falling apart antique Bible--hence the title "Surrounded by Light."

I think I might have gotten the hang of the gel transfer. This is how I did it (I am writing this to remind myself also):

1. Use a copy that is toner based

2. Put Golden soft gel on the back of the copy and on the surface

smooth out with a brayer

(I try not to put gel on the backside of the copy to be transfered so water can saturate better)

3. Let sit for about 2 minutes but make sure you can grab the corner

4. Pull the corner and HOPFULLY all the paper will pull off leaving just another thin layer underneath-if not just go on to step 5

5. Hit it with your heat gun

6. Saturate with water and rub. (Your transfer will show through when you put the water on it.) Be careful not to rub your transfer off! I use rubber gloves because it tingles my bare fingers too much

This is a combination of several techniques from my gel transfer research. So far it has worked really well.

Today's VLOG!

Here is Pam Carriker's blog. You will love her art!

Girl in the Black Chapeau

She is on an 10 x 10 canvas panel. I used Shiva oils and water soluble oils for her face. I love using oils although it is more difficult for me. I guess I should use them more often but being a mixed media artist---I like to "mix "it up and use diferent things. But oils are definitely something I have a desire to know more about and use more often.
The background is collaged with acrylic paint added and acrylic is also used for her hat.

Melancholy

I was playing around with my water soluble Caran de'Ache neo colors(love 'em) after viewing a video of Willowing . She uses a combination of the Caran de'Ache and white acrylic for her faces. It was very informative and I will try it again but this is the girl I painted using this technique. I am always trying to find just the right "thing" for me. I guess the thrill is in the hunt!! She looks a bit melancholy so that's what I titled her. She is on a canvas panel and it probably would be better to add more gesso and sand with sand paper to make the face smoother as Paulette Insall teaches.

Happy Sunday!

I found some images of sundaes so I thought I would paint a quick ditty. It's acrylic paint on Canson paper for acrylic that I need to use. I am determined to used my supplies!!! The Bible is from the Holy Land I got when I was 16 on a church trip, the ice cream is my second favorite--1st is Blue Bell Vanilla, and lastly, little Pepperment Patties. So, that's my Happy Sunday! Hope you all are having a good one!!! And staying warm!!!

Two-Minute Ditty

In 2009 I am going to start including a new feature to my blog (at least that's my plan for today)!  Sometimes a great masterpiece (ha ha) just doesn't come every day so I have decided to post my "Two-Minute Ditties." These are little paintings that really do take about two minutes or less and are extremely fun to do and will be posted whenever a great daily masterpiece didn't get finished up for the day (hee hee). I might even post some "Ten-Minute Calligraphy" also but---we'll see about that one. As I said, that is the plan for today---it could change tomorrow!

Arte Diem!!

Two BIG POPPIES!!!

Well, I just took a deep breath and painted them big.  These are on 15 x19 Kilimanjaro watercolor paper and adhered to a 16 x 20 Masters Baroque Artist Panel that I spray painted painted black. Painting big is really a different animal altogether but I am determined to not be intimidated by BIG.  And also---the perceived value $ amount is highter---even thought the same work goes into smaller ones. Go figure... 

I will spray these with varnish and they can hang without frames.

My Beloved is Coming!

Every year for many years the Lettering Group here in Jacksonville had an art show at the JCA-Jewish community alliance. It is a wonderful space with lots of light and space down a well- traveled hallway as people in the community go to workout. We haven't had a show in several years until this year. The show is in May and it is in honor of a great Jacksonville calligrapher named, Bobbi Yoffee, who was, in my opinion, one of the greatest artists and calligraphers in the country. We were fortunate to have her in our group but she died of cancer a couple of years back. She did many pieces using Scripture from Song of Solomon and some of us are doing a verse from that book in honor of her. The verse I was given is a wonderful verse but I really had to think and think how to depict it. I am still not sure if this was the right choice. I toyed with mountains and hills and it just didn't seem to work so I went with the "listen" theme. The girl is a portrait one that I painted a while back and I actually changed the lettering in the portrait. Then I wrote the verse---several times. I know I could have waited because I have some time until May but sometimes these things hang over my head and I have to get something down on paper. I may change it by then but at least I have done the lettering---whew!

Just a few more landscapes...

The two larger ones are on an 8 x 24 canvas and the other is on an 8x10. They are fun to do. I might paint a few more because I could hang them in our favorite lunch spot. There is a blank wall just waiting for me but I better hurry because Stellers Gallery might beat me to it.

Poppy Paintin' Stuff

I thought you might be getting weary of the Folk Art Landscapes so I thought I would throw this in between landscapes. I know, this is a stretch---especially when you don't have anything else to blog!

Poppy Supplies

M. Graham Paints (my favorite)

Black Caran d"Ache water soluble crayon (love these!!)

Dream Catcher brushes (my favorite--but I use others too)

Palette (Bed and Bath Beyond)

Watercolor pencil

Kilimanjaro 300 LB WC paper from Cheap Joe's

sandpaper---this is a technique that Michelle Brown uses. You rub a watercolor pencil over the sand paper and it drops dust that makes great texture

More landscapes tomorrow!

Daytime--Nighttime

These are small ones---4x6.

More tomorrow!

Folk Art Landscape

For the past few weeks, on and off I have been doing a great online class with Karen Gartel. I bought two classes for the price of one before Christmas so I have done the landscapes workshop. The other one is a portrait class and I will get around to that one day.

This is on an 8" x 24" canvas and I think what she does with these landscapes is just so cute. I am working on several of them so you will be seeing them in upcoming blog posts. I am working on two at once now that are daytime ones and I did a few practice small ones which I will also post.

Michelle Brown is going to do another waterclass class on Spring Flowers!! I am so excited so I guess when that time comes you will see lots of spring flowers. I am still painting my Poppies too, but not posting them.

Since I have this studio now and I come over here every day---I do tend to get alot done. I'm just glad you don't see my laundry pile!! :)

Antique Calligraphy Chair

This is a chair that was in my mother's bedroom. It has been around as long as I can remember and when I brought it to my studio I was going to have it upholstered with some cute material. The chair had stripes on it so I said, what the heck, before I recover it I will just write on it---no worries!! Well then liked it and left it on there. I really haven't quite finished it yet but I am not sure if I should go on or not---or just leave it. I used acrylic and a flat brush. It's amazing what you can do when there is no pressure!

My Voice

One of my new year's resolutions is to do more calligraphy---and not to stress about it too much. No lines, no layout, just write. This Scripture spoke to me today so I decided to write it. I will try and do more of that---hopefully. I haven't even pasted anything down, in fact there is something painted on the back of the paper. Writing on the back of scrap paper is freeing for some reason. Lack of self confidence?---probably---fear of failure?... probably. Yeah, I know, I'm a little bit crazy that way.

I see the Moon and the Moon Sees Me

I am enjoying painting these watercolor girls. This is on Arches Aqurelle Rough 140 lb paper. This is what I really love---wetting the paper and dropping in color straight from the tube. Ahhhh.. sweet dispersion!! That why I love watercolor but it certainly has a mind of it's own. But the key to watercolor is trying to figure out it's mysterious mind!

She Has A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

She is all watercolor with the collaged musical paper heart. Fun to paint. She has a song in her heart!  But she might be having a bit of a bad hair day.

Stained Glass and Butterflies

This is the first in a series of watercolor portraits.  Normally I have used acrylic or even  Shiva oil sticks. But I like painting them with watercolor too.  I use flesh tint gouache for the base tone then add shades from there.  The butterflies are collaged.

Metal Embossing!

Well, I just couldn't wait for TenSecond Studio so I traveled into the very traffic-filled area of Orange Park on New Year's Eve-day- and Donna, at A Small Cleverness (my favorite store) had everything you would need for metal embossing. There are so many tools it will make your head swim. The gals at TenSecond Studio also have tools but Donna's are better and she sells pewter sheets where TenSeconds sells aluminum. That's ok though because the alum is cheaper so I still ordered some of that too. I watched their instructional videos---which was frequently irritating--but never the less- informative.

This is very very fun to do and I think it has potential. I actually didn't adhere anything down on this piece -I just taped it on the see how it would look with something in the center. It's way cool FUN!!!

Poppy Journals

I have opened up my Etsy shop again from vacation mode and now have Poppy Journals for sale. I am very excited because I already sold two! I haven't had much luck with my Etsy site so this is a blessing. They are just a composition notebook but I use these notebooks for all sorts of things.

Tune in tomorrow for my first metal embossing project.

Also check here, I got in a Treasury on Etsy!

Show Me Your Ways

I try to do some calligraphy as often as I can. It used to be all I ever did and my letterforms were better then---but they are just different now-- much freer. (I didn' say better--just freer). I started out with the intention of getting it all straight and keeping to the lines but after the 4th line I said to heck with it and just wrote. It's ok--I wouldn't enter it into a juried calligraphy show or anything. I am into---write it once, and let it go.

Calligraphy is an interesting art form. It requires exactness and many years of grooling practice-but oh, the agony and the ecstasy of it all! Sometimes I just have to go and write something---kinda like sometimes I just have to just go and paint a Poppy.

I do love this Scripture so much that it is one of the very few that I have memorized. I try so hard to memorize Scripture but most of it won't stick (I guess it's a 50 thang...) but this one stuck and I pray it most every day.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year 2009 to all my sweet and talented blogger friends---across the big wide world!!

I actually did some calligraphy! One New Year's resolution on it's way. This is on paste paper--but actually I wrote it on another sheet of paper and put it on in Photoshop. I also put a little shadow behind the words because it was not standing out enough.

Hugs to everyone!